Who paid for the lodging ? This looks even more expensive than the private flights .

” On Tuesday, the National Journal reported that Menendez spent up to 87 percent of his entire wealth to pay back campaign donor Dr. Salomon Melgen for two 2010 flights to the Dominican Republic. Menenedez has admitted to three such flights aboard Melgen’s jet and claims all three occurred in 2010.

“When Robert Menendez arrived in the U.S. Senate in 2006, he was a relative pauper in a chamber often called a millionaires’ club,” National Journal’s Shane Goldmacher reported.

The New Jersey Democrat ranked 97th out of 100 senators in terms of his personal wealth, according to financial records filed that year and compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. So Menendez’s decision last month to use his personal funds to reimburse a prominent political contributor $58,500 for two flights to the Dominican Republic came at a major cost. The repayment amounts to between 32 percent and 87 percent of the assets Menendez reported holding in bank accounts and stock, according to his latest financial-disclosure form, which was filed last year.

Menendez did not pay Melgen back for the flights until early 2013, after investigative reports incited public scrutiny. Menendez paid Melgen $58,500 in early January for two of the flights. The third was paid for by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which Menendez chaired back in 2010.”

There would seem to be lots of questions regarding Mr Menendez’ finances .